Three Buffalo Sabres will see action at the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off starting on Wednesday, with team captain Rasmus Dahlin playing for Sweden, and defenseman Henri Jokiharju and goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen suiting up for Finland. The four squads are practicing in Montreal, and based on the combinations leading up to the tournament's opening, the Sabres trio appear to be starting off as support players for their countries.
Dahlin, who leads Buffalo blueliners with 42 points, skated on Sweden’s third pairing with Florida’s Gustav Forsling, while Tre Kronor’s top two pairings consisted of Norris Trophy winner Victor Hedman and Minnesota’s Jonas Brodin, and Edmonton’s Mattias Ekholm and three-time Norris winner Erik Karlsson.
Jokiharju was a late replacement for Finland after their blueline lost both Miro Heiskanen and Jani Hakanpaa, and it is expected he will be one of the Finns starting six on defense, but the club mixed up their pairings on Tuesday. Luukkonen is part of a trio that includes Kevin Lankinen of the Vancouver Canucks, and Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators.
Finland has not named their starter for Thursday's opening game against the United States.
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